NBA Final podcast with David Zizmor: Heat-Nuggets tip off for game 1 in Denver Thursday night

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler directs traffic while dribbling the basketball against the Boston Celtics in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden in Boston on Tue May 28, 2023 (AP News photo)

NBA Final podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 David taking a look at the Miami Heat who took out the Boston Celtics in seven games, it was a nail biter for the Heat winning the first three games then losing the next three games and clinching in game 7

#2 In game 7 the Heat were in Boston with the Celtics crowd behind them but they managed to take the crowd out of the game allowed the Celtics to score only 15 points in the first quarter and only 18 in the third quarter.

#3 The Denver Nuggets host the Heat in game 1 on Thursday night. The Nuggets have had plenty of rest having played their last game Mon May 22 that’s nine days rest for Denver is that an advantage or could they come in rusty?

Join David Zizmor for the NBA Final podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Eastern Conference Finals podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Miami feels the Heat as Celtics close the gap

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum throws down against the Miami Heat in game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on Thu May 25, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the NBA Eastern Conference Finals podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 At one time the Boston Celtics were down 3-0 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals and now have come back to avoid elimination winning two straight games including last night’s game 5 thriller 110-97 to cut the Miami lead down to 3-2.

#2 Derrick White scored 24 points and had six three pointers and it was the three pointers that help make the difference for the Celtics. Marcus Smart had 23 points and five steals.

#3 Also the Celtics Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both finished with 21 points they both were driven for accomplishing a game 5 win.

#4 If the Celtics were to win game 6 they will have come back from three games down and teams who have been down 3-0 are 0-150 and are vying to beat the odds.

#5 Game 6 goes back to Miami Friday night. The Heat will have their fans behind them and the Heat are looking for their key players Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin and Jimmy Butler to make it happen and eliminate the Celtics. Can the Celts beat the odds or will the Heat take full advantage of the home court advantage?

Join Jeremiah for the NBA post season podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Playoffs podcast with David Zizmor: Celtics escape to stay alive with 116-99 win over Heat

On the NBA Playoffs podcast with David:

#1 The Boston Celtics avoided getting swept by the Miami Heat 116-99 in Miami on Tuesday night. The Celtics led by Jayson Tatum led with 34 points and 11 rebounds.

#2 The Celtics also got scoring help from Derrick White and Jaylen Brown who each had 16 points and the Celtics had a strong second half to hold off the Heat.

#3 What had been absent for the Celtics in the first three games to put them behind the eight ball early and quickly.

#4 Dave game five comes back to the Boston on Thursday night and it might be the best chance for the Celtics to pick up one more win on their home floor but the Heat can put this away in a game six in Miami.

Join David for the NBA post season podcasts Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors return home after racking up 0-6 road trip; Host the Kings tonight at Chase Center

A view of the Golden State Warriors bench on Fri Nov 4, 2022 in New Orleans (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, how depleted do the Golden State Warriors seem after resting their three key players Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson and taking a nine point 114-105 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night in Pelican town.

#2 The Pelicans Brandon Ingram lead the Pelicans with 26 points and contributed on offense keeping New Orleans in the drivers seat for most of the game.

#3 What was remarkable was Ingram had missed four games in a row due to a concussion and was glad for the timing of getting back in the line up to face the Warriors.

#4 The Warriors Jordan Poole led Golden State with 20 points and nine assists, Ty Jerome had 18 points, and Kevon Looney was the only regular starter that was in uniform.

#5 The Warriors return to the nest tonight at Chase Center and host the Sacramento Kings who are coming off two road wins against the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets.

Barbara Mason does the Warriors podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Lose Heart Breaker To the Heat In Final Seconds 110-107

Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) prepares to pass past Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo during the first half on Tue Nov 2, 2022 in Miami (AP News photo)

Kings Lose Heart Breaker To the Heat In Final Seconds 110-107

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Sacramento Kings (2-5) took on the Miami Heat (4-5). Both teams are coming off a win in their last game. The Kings handled the Hornets 115-108 and the Heat pulled off a stunner beating the Golden State Warriors 116-109. The Heat were looking for a little payback after losing to the Kings last Saturday night in Sacramento 119-113 which they got with a 110-107 win over the Kings in Miami.

The Kings played without their superstar De’Aaron Fox who is their offensive leader. There is good news in regards to the knee injury he suffered Monday night against the Hornets. The MRI that he underwent showed a bone bruise but no other structural damage. He missed tonight’s game and there is no other update as to his return.

This game was as close as a game could be. The Heat had a slim 33-32 lead after the first 12 minutes. The second quarter was another one point thriller with the Heat winning it 20-19. Miami led at the half 53-51.

This set the tone for the remainder of the game with both teams battling. The Kings won the third quarter in another one point differential 25-24. It became apparent that this game would go down to the wire.

These two teams were tied at 107 with 12.5 seconds left in regulation. With 1.8 seconds left in the game, Tyler Herro lived up to his name sinking a 27-foot shot and that was the game-winner 110-107.

It was a heart breaking loss for the Kings who fought so hard through the entire game. This game could not have been any closer. The absence of Fox really hurt but the Kings had a great game from Domantas Sabonis and Kevin Huerter both finishing with 22 points and Malik Monk had 19 points off the bench.

The Heat were missing Jimmy Butler with a hip injury. Tyler Herro had the high score for the Heat with 26 points.

Despite the loss, the Kings had a great game just coming up short. Even more discouraging was the fact that Coach Mike Brown saw Herro travel on that last play. All signs point to De’Aaron Fox’s return very soon which is great news for the Kings.

Next up for Sacramento will be the Orlando Magic on Saturday at Amway Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 PM.

Miami Hands Warriors Third Loss In a Row 116-109

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dunks the ball during the first half against the Golden State Warriors at FTX Arena in Miami on Tue Nov1, 2022 (AP News photo)

Miami Hands Warriors Third Loss In a Row 116-109

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday evening the Golden State Warriors (3-4) took on the Miami Heat (2-5) looking to avoid a third loss in a row. Golden State needed to pay close attention to their defense in transition and also keeping the fouls to a minimum. The Heat were looking for a little payback after losing to the Warriors last Thursday 123-110 and they got it with a 116-109 win over the Warriors Tuesday.

Tuesday game recap: The first quarter showed some great defense on both sides. With three minutes left in the quarter, the Warriors had taken a slim lead 21-17 but had missed out on some great offensive opportunities. That lead disappeared and the Heat opened up a 25-21 advantage. As the clock ran out in the opening quarter the Heat conducted a nice run and closed out the first 12 minutes leading 33-24. It was a 20 to 3 run for the Heat building a nine point lead.

The Warriors continued to chip away at the Miami lead. Golden State won the second quarter 32-25 and at the half the Heat held a slim lead 58-56. After struggling on this road trip, Andrew Wiggins had a great first half with 14 points. The Warriors continued to struggle with turnovers committing ten in the first half.

Klay Thompson who did not play Sunday but on Tuesday had a productive third quarter as did Wiggins. The Warriors defense led the offense in this game and Golden State saw flashes of that championship team, that great execution the Warriors are so used to seeing but the Warriors continued to send Miami to the line giving up too many points. Heading into the fourth quarter the Warriors had built an eight point lead 94-86. The bench, Jamychal Green, Jordan Poole, James Wiseman and Moses Moody finished the final three minutes of the third.

The start of the fourth quarter was a good one for Kyle Lowry hitting a couple of three’s challenging Golden State. The Heat had 22 points off of Warrior turnovers making this game a tight one 100-97 with 8:22 left in the game. Miami went on a ten point run and took the lead 102-100 with just over six minutes left on the clock. With 5:25 left the score was tied at 104. The Heat were making some crazy shots from downtown in the fourth quarter. It went down to three minutes of crunch time in this game with the Heat leading 112-109.

The final blow for the Warriors was a lengthy review that was decided in favor of the Heat instead of three shots from the line for Warrior guard Stephen Curry. Those three shots could very well have tied up this game. With 9.5 left on the clock Jimmy Butler extended the Miami lead 114-109 and the Warriors had dropped their third game in a row.

The Warriors outshot the Heat, they made more three’s than the Heat but it was the turnovers that once again was the problem. The Warriors have not won a road game this season. Golden State simply ran into a buzzsaw with the Miami Heat. The Warriors could not close out this game, unable to buy a bucket in the final minutes of the fourth quarter

Curry finished with 23 points, Wiggins with 21 and Thompson with 19. Curry had a great game with 13 rebounds but they came up short once again. So far this season Curry has been a constant, the team looking better tonight. They absolutely got some tough breaks in this game.

Thursday night the Warriors will continue to chase their first road win of the season taking on the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Overcoming The Heat: Kings survive anxious moments to capture first win, 119-113 over Miami

By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Jimmy Butler’s dunk and ensuing free throw with 6:15 remaining had Kings’ fans feeling creepy, and not in a festive, Halloween type of a way.

More like a take off your costume and head home feeling, Golden 1 Center grew tense and weary with the Kings clinging to a 101-100 advantage after leading by 22 points at the half.

Nightmare on L Street? Could have been had not Kevin Huerter and rookie Keegan Murray stepped up with some big baskets to cool the Heat.

The pair combined for 11 of Sacramento’s final 18 points and the Kings reversed their fortunes in a 119-113 win on Saturday afternoon.

“They came in with desperation,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra of the Kings. “They wanted to get that first win.”

Coach Mike Brown exhaled the deepest. His high-energy coaching, seven years experience as an NBA head coach, and four NBA titles as an assistant weren’t going to wear well in an 0-5 start to his tenure in Sacramento. Instead, he was afforded a business-as-usual approach afterwards.

“Doesn’t matter when it comes,” Brown said of his initial win. “Hopefully we can have some carryover going on this road trip.”

The Kings held a lead in the final two minutes on opening night against Portland and couldn’t hold it. A two-point loss to the Clippers and a five-point loss to the Warriors weren’t any easier to digest. Their most recent loss to Memphis brought grumblings that a team thought to be the NBA’s most improved might not be improved at all.

With a win, they have their confidence reinforced.

“It’s big to get the first one,” Huerter said. “Any time you start a year, you get your first win, it’s kind of a big relief. We’ve worked hard, as hard as any other team in training camp. It’s been a long road up to this point. The first four games of the season, we felt like we had opportunities to win. We just couldn’t close the deal.”

The Kings shot 59 percent from the floor in the first quarter and upped that to 63 percent at the half as the Heat’s defense was uncharacteristically absent. That created a 71-49 at halftime that got dismantled in the third.

Domantas Sabonis put up all 18 of his points before halftime, and two quick fouls to start the third quarter. The Kings center fouled out with the game in the balance and less than six minutes remaining in the fourth. But Richaun Holmes came on for Sabonis, and the Kings steadied. That’s when the Heat appeared to run out of gas, a residual effect of their first half struggles.

“We didn’t match that intensity in the first half,” Kyle Lowry said. “They dominated the paint in the first half. We didn’t get back well enough early in the game. They were pushing every time we scored. You could hear their coach saying, Go! Go! Go!”

Huerter led the Kings with 27 points, Murray added 22, and De’Aaron Fox came up gritty with 17 points, 13 rebounds.

The Kings are in Charlotte on Monday to face the Hornets, kicking off a four-game road trip.

Heat can’t stop Warriors Curry with 33 pts in 123-110 win

The Miami Heat Jimmy Butler (left) gets ahead of the Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins in first half action at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Oct 27, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Golden State Warrior guard Stephen Curry scored 33 points leading the Warriors on the top of the scoring leaderboard. Curry’s ten crucial points in the fourth quarter help keep the Warriors ahead. Curry also added seven assists and nine rebounds to his total in keeping the Warriors in the contest in the Warriors 123-110 win over the Miami Heat.

The Heat’s Tyler Herro tried as he might to defend Curry but to avail Curry just came loose on Herro including a move losing Herro and faded back and sank a three point shot with 5:23 remaining in the game to make it 108-100. Curry added some more at 3:15 moving past the Heat defense for a layup and at 2:40 hitting another three pointer, and then a long outside shot at 2:04 as the Warriors never looked back.

During the current four game homestand Curry has 30 or more points and Andrew Wiggins had 18 points and ten rebounds, and had a collection of three pointers five in all scoring 19 points for the night. Warriors Jordan Poole drove and got a pass around the Heat’s defender Bam Adebayo to teammate Ty Jerome who hit a three pointer to make it 100-92 with 9:36 left. Poole also added a jump shot at 8:07 to pull the Warriors with an eight point lead 102-94.

The Heat got scoring from Adebayo who led with 26 points, forward Jimmy Butler 27 points, and Max Strus 14 points, Kyle Lowery scored 12 points and eight assists. The Heat playing on back to back nights having played on Wednesday night in Portland getting a 119-98 win.

The Charlotte Hornets host the Warriors on Saturday night. The Hornets will have come off back to back nights having played in Miami and back to Charlotte to host Warriors for a 4:00pm tip.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: NBA superstars grab mic before games asking for Brittney Griner’s release

WNBA/Phoenix Mercury Brittney Griner is lead by Moscow prison guards on Aug 4, 2022, NBA players Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, and Adonis Haslem all took the mic in their respective arenas pleading with the US Government to help step up and “release our sister” (AP photo file)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry Tuesday night stood in front of the Chase Arena crowd in San Francisco using his superstar status to reach out those who have the decision to make the release of WNBA/Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner possible.

#2 Griner who was sentenced in a Russian prison for nine years for having hashish oil in her suitcase as she tried to leave Moscow. Curry said that he wanted to use the platform to shout out to the basketball community about a very special member who should be released.

#3 Curry said it’s been long over due that Griner has been in prison now for over 243 days since she was wrongfully incarcerated and that everyone is doing their part to see that she gets home.

#4 Jerry, the Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving, the Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem made a speeches pleading for the US President Joe Biden to work things out with the Russian government to “let our sister go free.”

#5 Jerry, the Warriors host the Denver Nuggets Fri Oct 21 for the Nuggets second game of the season at Chase Center a 7:00pm tip. The Warriors faced the Nuggets in their last pre season game which they lost 119-112. Then in the opener the Utah Jazz crushed the Nuggets on Wednesday night. How do you see this one Friday?

Join Jerry for the Warriors podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors prepared for Boston in NBA Finals; Celtics struggled to beat Heat

The Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson (11) takes a three point jump shot against the Dallas Mavericks Dorian Finney-Smith (10) in game 5 in Dallas in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on Thu May 26, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, for fifth and final game between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center in San Francisco was it pretty much of an easy prediction that the Warriors after losing game 4 in Dallas and having home floor in game 5 they would have a great chance to wrap up the series?

#2 Barbara, the Warriors scored 41 points in the second quarter did you pretty much feel that was a quarter that set the tone for Golden State in game 5.

#3 The Warriors dominated the series for the Mavericks did it seem that all the heavy lifting was all on Luka Doncic who finished with 28 points in game 5?

#4 The Warriors Klay Thompson said he felt like his old self from his post season days and admittedly it looked like he didn’t miss a step in game 5 leading Golden State in scoring with 32.

#5 Barbara the game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat was a nail biter on Sunday in game 7 just to get your thoughts on how you see the Warriors faring in the Finals in what will be a cross country series.

Join Barbara for all the latest on the Golden State Warriors podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com